London, November 18 : Former England captain Andrew Strauss admitted that the team has been too 'fearful' of getting out and thus fail to hit runs in one-day internationals.

Strauss believes that England players have played too fearfully even during his own tenure as a captain. According to him, the team wouldn't make 400 plus runs unless they have got the confidence to do so. He further said that it was not the strategy, but the players that haven't performed well, the BBC reported.

Commenting on the 2015 World Cup preparations, he said that everything was looking perfect for England on paper, but it needs to be executed accordingly. The series against Sri Lanka and a tri-series with Australia and India have to be utilized well so as to get back to winning ways before the World Cup, said Strauss.

He further said that if the team wouldn't perform well against them, it would set in an eroded confidence rather than enhanced confidence in them before the World Cup.

Strauss, who played 100 Tests and 127 ODIs for England, believes that Captain Alastair Cook would be incredibly motivated and would have set all his focus on the World Cup considering his one shot at the tournament. (ANI)